Germany to allow bugging of private homes for first time since Nazis

The German government has reached agreement with the main opposition party, the Social Democrats, on a new law that will allow police to bug private homes for the first time since the Nazi era.

The interior minister, Manfred Kanther, said the measure would give police the necessary tool to fight organised crime.

To pass the law, the government needs opposition support in order to change the post-war constitution, which is designed to prevent a recurrence of Nazi abuses and protects the privacy of the home.

The legislation is now expected to win rapid parliamentary approval.

Some professions will continue to be protected, among them priests, lawyers and journalists.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service